For projects in Colombia
Recording studio acoustics and soundproofing in Colombia
Two jobs that must not be confused: keeping the building out, and making the room honest inside. The first is mass and decoupling and has to be built first. The second is absorption and diffusion and can be tuned later. A strong music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors.
- Isolation
- A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought.
- Low frequency
- Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam.
- Early reflections
- Controlled at the mix position, and only there.
- Quote
- From a plan and a section, within 48 hours
01 / Start here
The material, and what it actually does on a Colombia job
Two jobs that must not be confused: keeping the building out, and making the room honest inside. The first is mass and decoupling and has to be built first. The second is absorption and diffusion and can be tuned later.
A strong music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors.
Work reaching us from Colombia is mostly offices, apartments, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, studios.
- The inland leg is significant The commercial centres are well inland and high up. We quote the port leg and the road leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
- Concrete and brick construction Walls carry mass. The recurring problem is hard, live interiors and services noise rather than speech through a wall.
- Growing hospitality sector Hotel and restaurant fit-out is a steady share of enquiries, and those rooms are judged when they are completely full.
- Isolation A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought.
Full specification
Thickness, density, NRC by frequency, fire class, standard sizes and build-up detail for studio soundproofing are on the main product page. This page covers what that means for a project in Colombia.
02 / The build-up
How the layers stack, from the structure inwards
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Layer 1
SoundBlanket mass loaded vinyl
A limp, high density sheet that adds mass to a partition, floor or duct without adding depth. In Colombia, split units with condensers on facades and in light wells, running through a mild year round climate.
Duct and plant wrap. Membrane wrapped over the duct with a decoupling layer beneath, sealed at every lap.
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Layer 2
Acoustic panels
The full absorber range rather than one product: plain PET felt, printed felt, grooved panels and fabric finishes, chosen by how the room is used and how it has to look. In Colombia, church buildings, event halls and auditoria are hard volumes carrying amplified music at high level.
Ceiling first. In most rooms the ceiling is the largest untreated surface and the cheapest square metre of result.
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Layer 3
Soundproof curtains
A layered curtain with a mass loaded vinyl core, used where an opening has to stay an opening. In Colombia, classrooms are concrete and tile with high ceilings, and covered play areas amplify break time noise.
Full height with return. Curtain taken floor to soffit with a side return and an overlap, because the gap is what leaks, not the fabric.
We would rather argue about the build-up at design stage than on site. See how we support architects.
03 / On the ground
What the buildings in Colombia do to the specification
- The inland leg is significant
The commercial centres are well inland and high up. We quote the port leg and the road leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
- Concrete and brick construction
Walls carry mass. The recurring problem is hard, live interiors and services noise rather than speech through a wall.
- Growing hospitality sector
Hotel and restaurant fit-out is a steady share of enquiries, and those rooms are judged when they are completely full.
- Two coasts to choose from
Cartagena on the Caribbean or Buenaventura on the Pacific, routed to whichever shortens the run to your site.
- The housing stock
Concrete and block construction with hard floors, in apartment towers that share slabs and walls.
- The studio and content scene
A strong music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors.
04 / Room by room
Space by space, for Colombia briefs
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Isolation
A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. The commercial centres are well inland and high up. We quote the port leg and the road leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 1800 x 900 mm
- Acoustic panels, 1800 x 900 mm, image printed into the felt rather than onto a facing
- Soundproof curtains, 5.5 kg per sq m
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Low frequency
Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam. Walls carry mass. The recurring problem is hard, live interiors and services noise rather than speech through a wall.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 20 mm
- Acoustic panels, Cut pattern in PET felt, adds visual rhythm without changing the absorber
- Soundproof curtains, Up to 30 dB
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Early reflections
Controlled at the mix position, and only there. Hotel and restaurant fit-out is a steady share of enquiries, and those rooms are judged when they are completely full.
- Acoustic foam and BassBloc, 100 kg per cubic metre
- Acoustic panels, ASTM C423
- Soundproof curtains, 30
For a Colombia interior where the finish leads, we will say plainly what each option costs you acoustically. See how we work with interior designers.
04 / Climate
The Colombia climate decides the material list
Colombia is warm and humid through most of the year, with a long wet season, and that narrows the material list before acoustics is discussed.
Humidity is the deciding factor. PET felt does not absorb moisture, shed fibre or feed mould, which is why it outlasts fabric-wrapped mineral wool in this climate. Wood wool and timber need a ventilated cavity behind them.
The failure we design against here is mould, sagging fabric finishes and swelling in timber.
Consultants get the raw data, not a sales sheet. That is the whole of our side of the job, and it is set out under working with acoustic consultants.
06 / Before you buy
The six errors that cost the most
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Buying foam to solve an isolation problem
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Treating the room before the shell is isolated
This is the one that comes back as a second fit-out rather than a snag.
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Killing the room completely and calling it controlled
A room can be over-treated. Past the target it stops sounding controlled and starts sounding dead, and you paid for that.
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Treating it as a generic Colombia job
The commercial centres are well inland and high up. We quote the port leg and the road leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
05 / Supply
Getting it to Colombia, with real dates
| Ships from | Palwal, Haryana, India |
|---|---|
| Arrives at | Cartagena or Buenaventura, then road inland |
| Dispatch | 4 to 7 working days |
| Freight | Sea via Cartagena |
| Support | Drawings, build-ups, BOQ and material that arrives complete |
Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
Sea freight into Cartagena or Buenaventura, then road inland. Air freight for samples and urgent quantities.
Questions from Colombia projects
What makes recording studio acoustics and soundproofing different in Colombia?
A strong music and content sector working inside apartment blocks and commercial floors. The commercial centres are well inland and high up. We quote the port leg and the road leg separately so the programme runs on real dates.
Where should the budget go first on a Colombia project?
Isolation. A measured background level, agreed before anything is bought. Low frequency. Corner and boundary absorption with real depth, not surface foam.
Do you have an office or installation team in Colombia?
No. We manufacture in India and supply into Colombia. We give you drawings, build-ups, a BOQ and material that arrives complete, and we will tell you plainly when a job needs a local contractor we cannot be.
How does material get to a Colombia site?
ships from: Palwal, Haryana, India, arrives at: Cartagena or Buenaventura, then road inland, dispatch: 4 to 7 working days. Standard items dispatch in 4 to 7 working days. The sea leg from India is long, so plan the full door to door window into the programme. We give real dates, not optimistic ones.
What goes wrong most often on this kind of project?
Buying foam to solve an isolation problem. Treating the room before the shell is isolated.
What do you need from us to quote?
A plan, a section through the critical partition or ceiling, and what the room is for. From that we can give a build-up and a BOQ rather than a price per square foot.
Next step
Tell us the room, we will tell you the build-up
A plan and a section is enough. We will come back with a build-up, a BOQ and a delivered date, and we will say so if what you are asking for will not work.